Francesco Maria I della Rovere

Francesco Maria I della Rovere (22 March 1490-20 October 1538) was the Duke of Urbino from 11 April 1508 to 1516, succeeding Guidobaldo da Montefeltro and preceding Lorenzo II de Medici, and again from December 1521 to 20 October 1538, succeeding Lorenzo and preceding Guidobaldo II della Rovere.

Biography
Francesco Maria della Rovere was born on 22 March 1490 in Senigallia, Italy, the son of its lord Giovanni della Rovere; he was the nephew of Pope Julius II. In 1504, his heirless uncle Guidobaldo da Montefeltro announced that he would be his heir, but Cesare Borgia and Andrea Doria seized Senigallia and Urbino during the Italian Wars. After the Pope had Borgia arrested and crushed the House of Borgia, della Rovere became lord of Urbino and Senigallia, and in 1509 he became Captain-General of the Papal States during the wars with Ferrara and Venice. In 1511, after Cardinal Francesco Alidosi failed to capture Bologna, della Rovere had him killed, leading to people comparing him to Cesare Borgia. However, the death of Pope Julius II led to him losing favor, and in 1516 Pope Leo X excommunicated him and gave the Duchy of Urbino to his own nephew, Lorenzo II de Medici. In 1517, the ensuing "War of Urbino" saw him fail to recapture Urbino from the House of Medici, and in 1521 he would return to Urbino after Medici's death. Della Rovere served as a condotierro in the service of the Republic of Venice from 1523 to 1525, and Pope Clement VII made him supreme commander of the Holy League. In 1538, he was poisoned in Pesaro by his enemies.